J. Paul Getty Museum. Dept. of Manuscripts.

The early 80s were a pivotal moment in the development of the J. Paul Getty Trust, when the settlement of J. Paul Getty's estate meant that important decisions needed to be made about the direction of future art collecting. In 1983, the J. Paul Getty Museum was offered the finest private collection of illuminated manuscripts in the world, that of German chocolate manufacturer Peter Ludwig and his wife, Irene. It was an opportunity to acquire a world-class collection with a single purchase. The collection consisted of 144 objects covering more than eleven hundred years and virtually every region of Europe, and was particularly strong in German, central European, and later Flemish manuscripts. The Trustees approved the purchase, and the Department of Manuscripts was formed with Thomas Kren as its head.

Administrative History

The early 1980s were a pivotal moment in the Getty Trust’s development. The settlement of J. Paul Getty’s estate precipitated lengthy discussions about the future directions of the Museum's collections. In 1983, the J. Paul Getty Museum was offered one of the finest private collection of illuminated manuscripts in the world, that of German chocolate manufacturer Peter Ludwig and his wife, Irene Ludwig. It provided the opportunity to acquire a world-class collection with a single purchase, and broadened the scope of collecting by the Getty Museum. The collection consisted of 144 illuminated manuscripts, selected with the advice of book dealer Hans P. Kraus, covering more than eleven hundred years and representing virtually every region of Europe. Particularly strong in German, central European, and later Flemish manuscripts, the collection was among the few private collections of manuscripts formed in the second half of the twentieth century that was still intact. The Trustees approved the purchase in 1983, and the Department of Manuscripts was formed with Thomas Kren, formerly Associate Curator of Paintings, as its head.

[Source: John Walsh, Deborah Gribbon. The J. Paul Getty Museum and its collections : a museum for the new century. Los Angeles : J. Paul Getty Museum, c1997.]